Tuesday, June 29, 2010

All right, chickadees, I've got some news. My email has been tainted with a nasty spam virus, so I've had to open up a new account. From now on, please contact me at emilywhite_1112(at)yahoo(dot)com. The difference is very subtle--the underscore comes after the name, not in between.

For some reason, every time we saw that a book has been turned into a movie, we jump up and down in excitement, buy our tickets, and watch said movie with great anticipation. And yet, the movie hardly ever stands up to our expectations. The director and script writer took liberties we feel should never have been taken. The heroine does not look like how we imagined her to be. Etc. So why go?

There's just something about finally seeing with our eyes the vision the author had. I, for one, am willing to go through the disappointing parts just to be able to live through that world I loved so much in a new way. I never missed an opening day for any of the LOTR movies (though I was extremely disappointed with where Peter Jackson took The Two Towers) and tomorrow I will be going to see Eclipse.

I have watched the trailers several times since they've come out and have been twiddling my fingers in anticipation. And yet, I don't really know why. Since reading the series, the movies have kind of ticked me off. Bella is far more tomboyish than she should be and it seems pretty clear the script writer is on team Jacob. The movies have given the impression that Jacob has a better chance than he actually does. And Edward (though he does lose his temper on several occasions), ends up losing his cool during parts in the movie where he was particularly calm (on the outside) in the book. It wouldn't be that big of a deal if it weren't made a big deal in the book.

But I'll live through it and perhaps enjoy it enough to give a proper review on Thursday.

You tell me. What books you loved were made into movies? Did they disappoint or were they just what you always hoped?

Monday, June 28, 2010

Now that I've started a couple new projects, I'm going to update you on ALL OF THEM! Yay! Lucky you!

And yes, I've been playing with my account and I now know how to post multiple pictures! Mwahahahaha!

But I won't torment you too much.

Without further ado...

Aurumenas: Second draft is complete. After taking a break for a week, I started reading through it to find any plot gaps. I'm not focusing on typos or spot edits at this point because I want to make sure my book as a whole works first. I'm halfway through it at this point and will hopefully have it all read by tomorrow. My betas are being very helpful with this and I promise to bake them all cookies when the book is done. I've heard I make fabulous cookies.

Hansel and Gretel: Though I really fell into this and got a lot of words down, I'm slowing up a bit to focus on Aurumenas edits. I don't want to confuse the voices. That being said, research is still ongoing and if anyone has any first hand experience with northern Utah, I need to talk to you.

Army Strong (or a fobbit's tale--still haven't decided): Going beautifully! Voice confusion is not something I need to worry about considering the MC in this is me and the MC in Aurumenas is definitely not me. As you can see, though, I'm stuck on the title. Both of them I like for humorous reasons. Army Strong because it's the new theme for the military and I joined as a 107 lb pipsqueak, and a fobbit's tale because that's an inside joke in the military to refer to certain deployed personnel. I need opinions!

And because I equally love hearing about everyone else's status on their WIPs, please share!

Thursday, June 24, 2010

I know I'm supposed to be talking about myself today because it's technically my About Me day, but honestly, there's not a whole lot of interesting things about me to include every week. I'm a rather boring person when you get right down to it. So I'm at a loss today.

Instead, I've decided to post the first page of my new WIP, Hansel and Gretel. Obviously this is a rough draft, so be warned.

If there was anything more depressing than leaving white sandy beaches against a crystal blue ocean for the boondock plains of Hansel Valley, Utah, I didn’t know it. After saying goodbye to all my friends and boarding a plane for Salt Lake City, I didn’t think it could get any worse. And then my dad declared he wanted to take the scenic route around the lake to our new home. Like I wanted to be stuck in a car for god knows how long with my mom and sister jabbering away at what a great opportunity this was for all of us.

Great opportunity for them maybe, but I’d long ago stopped counting in my family. Dad was the successful photographer, mom the flighty homemaker who decided each year she was going to start working outside the home only to quit a few weeks later (that she even got the gig with Gretel Industries International was a miracle), and my younger sister Jane, the genius. Literally. She was one of those superkids who could read at two and had the multiplication table memorized at three. I was still slurring through my ABC’s at four. In any other family, that would have been pretty good. In my family, it meant you’re a retard. Sorry, mentally challenged. The “R” word was forbidden in our house.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Rewriting my novel has taught me one valuable lesson: sometimes something we write just doesn't work. And when that happens, you must be prepared to take a knife (or delete button) to your novel.

Now I admit that I wasn't totally careless in my revisions. I saved my novel under a different name and made changes to the new file while retaining the old one. Still, I was prepared to take drastic measures. The gist of what happened remained the same up until I got to the end. That's when the blood poured.

Often, I doubted myself and wondered if such a drastic change was necessary, but I decided it was. Hours of work were wiped away, never to be seen again (not even in a new sparkly way). And really, it was my own reservations that convinced me I was doing the right thing. I had reservations for all the wrong reasons. I'd created a really cool group of people who I was excited about introducing in the novel, but they weren't pertinent to Nathadria's story; they were just cool. And if I'd kept their scenes, I'd have to push back a pivotal decision in Nathadria's life, risking the reader's tolerance of her. So, I cut it all out. Nathadria needed to shine, not those other guys.

Something I've noticed over the years is that new writers are rarely willing to slaughter their darlings. Instead of sticking to the story, they become tangled up in "cool stuff" that is pretty and interesting, but not pivotal. I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully introduce that particular group of people. If Aurumenas is published and the publisher wants a sequel, then yes they will be, but I don't plan on writing a sequel otherwise. I'm prepared to let this particular idea stay in my head and never reach paper if that's the way it needs to be.

Do you have what it takes to cut your darlings? If an agent asked you to take out whole chapters because he thought the story would be better, would you?

Monday, June 21, 2010

Thank you to everyone who commented last Friday! I assure you, though, Superwoman I am not. Not unless you think the inability to barely function at the end of the day is a good thing. It got to the point where I felt like my brain had been wrung out like a washcloth.

To be honest, I thought it was going to take me a lot longer to rewrite Aurumenas. The first draft took me a little over a year to write (at the time, I was proud of myself, considering my first book took me about five years), so when I faced the reality that I needed to rewrite the whole thing, I was a tad depressed. On April 5th, I posted about my new task and at the time I never thought I would actually finish in just over two months. A whole book in two and a half months. I'm still shocked, and quite proud.

So I decided to give myself a little vacation. One weekend off. I couldn't even do it. Friday night was painful. I actually had to shut my computer off and hide my thumb drive so I wouldn't work on any of my new ideas. On Saturday, I gave in.

There are actually four new ideas playing around in my brain right now, but I've decided to work on just two of them right now. One of them isn't so new, actually, but I've been waiting to finish with the major stuff on Aurumenas before starting. My Autobiographical Novel (tentatively named Army Strong for now, though I'm also considering a fobbit's tale) is coming along smoothly. Half of chapter one is done (I may have started working on it, but I really needed to cut back a little) and I'm excited with how it's coming out. I think it will turn into a comedy more than anything, with just a touch of romance and drama.

My other WIP, Hansel and Gretel is really exciting me. Now that I've established the fact that I write Young Adult Science Fiction, I've discovered my particular niche in that genre. I love bringing fantasy into the sci-fi world (look above for new subheading). I have so many ideas for what I can do with it and sometimes I wish my muse would shut up for just a moment.

I'm kidding, muse. I love you.

Also, I updated my pages (see above). I came up with a new query for Aurumenas (again) and I would like you guys to let me know what you think. Part of me really likes it, another part has some reservations. I've also got my elevator pitches for my other WIPs, so let me know what you think of them, too! Please? :D

Friday, June 18, 2010

When I decided to rewrite my whole novel, I literally groaned, but I'm so glad I did. The story works so much better in first person. I only wish I'd gone that route in the first place. :o

Now I'm going to put it away for a couple weeks, work on something else, and read it over with fresh eyes. My betas will of course be looking at it as well and hopefully, I'll only have little edits here and there. Yay!!!

Now I must sleep. Writing an average of 5,000-7,000 words a day can wear you out.

I mentioned last week that I'm trying to revise one chapter a day. Well, so far, it's working out, but I don't have time for anything else. Unfortunately. So, I'm afraid that I won't be around much for the next two weeks. I tried to keep up with blogging last week, but I find I'm just too burned out at the end of the day to post anything substantial, let alone keep up with the blogs I follow.

I'm sorry for the little hiatus, but I promise to be back in two weeks at the latest! I may pop in here and there and leave comments on your posts (I really can't completely avoid the blogosphere--I'm not strong enough).

Thursday, June 3, 2010

If you haven't heard of VeggieTales, what is wrong with you?? It is adorable! And sadly, I've been a fan since long before I became a mother. The writing is pure genius. I kid you not. One of my favorite movies in the series is Lord of the Beans with Toto Baggypants, Randalf, and...Sporks! Lead of course by the infamous Scaryman!

Really, people. Talking vegetables are cute. My favorite is none other than Bob the Tomato. I even made a Bob cake for Home Economics in high school. I used a sheet cake for the countertop and a baseball mold for Bob. Somehow, I was able to get the red and black frosting dark enough. I used the very expensive food coloring, and I used a LOT of it. I'm sure my teacher was not pleased. It wasn't until after I dumped the cake into the garbage (took too long to frost--very dry by the time I was done) that I thought to take a picture of it. Oh well.

I introduced my children to VeggieTales at an early age because the shows are very short and extremely educational. They don't talk down to kids like Teletubbies (sorry, I don't think we should be reinforcing baby gibberish when we're trying to develop communication skills), and they always reinforce respect and love for others. It's a great series! You should check it out.

Now on to other things I love...

Last night, I had a moment. It was one of those moments where you know that if you become famous, you'll tell everyone that's how you spent every evening writing your novel. I was sitting out on my covered porch on my brand new adirondack chair, sipping a glass of my favorite wine, waiting for a storm to roll through, and writing. It was perfect. I felt like a real writer, which is silly because those kinds of things have nothing to do with it, but it helped just the same. I had a similar experience when I started getting the Sunday newspaper. I felt like, "ah...now I'm an adult." It's funny how those things will do that to you.

I also love puppies and kittens, but don't have the patience to take care of them. I'm not a lover of cleaning up someone else's poop. I prefer cuddling with my friends' puppies and kittens, then giving them back when they start getting demanding.

What kinds of things do you guys love? And have you ever had one of those silly moments where you felt more like a real writer than usual?

Well, I knew I was going to get a signed copy of the book (exciting!), but I didn't know I was going to get a personalized signed copy of the book! That was a nice little surprise!

I, of course, started reading "Love and the Body" and let me tell you, the poems are amazing! Very vivid. I highly suggest it for all you poetry lovers out there.

Though I missed Monday Update because of the holiday, I still want to hold myself accountable to you dear readers. I'm actually quite ahead of schedule. Over the last few days, I've been able to get a chapter done a day. I'm hoping to be able to keep up this momentum. If I can, revisions will be done in two weeks!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Wow. That was a loooooong weekend. I'm not usually so absent, but with all the barbeques and fairs going on, I couldn't find a moment to get on the computer (much less spend time at home).

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend! I assure you that I'm reading your blogs. I may not be able to comment on all of them, but I am trying to catch up with your posts.

I try not to get political (especially on my blog) because I'm a very opinionated person and I know that not everyone agrees with me. Usually, I just smile and nod when someone says something I don't agree with because I don't want to drive a wedge into my relationships. However, as a veteran, I feel it is often my duty to stand up for my fallen brothers and sisters.

So in honor of Memorial Day (forgive me for my lateness), I am going to do just that. I'll warn you now that not everyone will like what I have to say. My views tend to clash with a great many people my age these days.

There is a truth that every veteran knows better than everyone else: war is awful. It is hideous and scarring. It is a plague upon humanity like no other. But it is also, quite often, very necessary and unavoidable. There is another truth that every veteran knows and lives by: a willingness to fight for what is right is the most valuable asset any nation could have.

Since the dawn of time, there have been those who wish to rule others. It is just as true today as it was thousands of years ago, or even 234 years ago. There are certain rights that we enjoy in this country that should never be forgotten, never be taken advantage of, and never be given away for any reason. The moment they are, every life given in every war where American soldiers died would be given in vain. Their deaths would mean nothing.

Sadly, America's citizens and descendants of those who died so that we might live free are giving up those rights. We do it because we don't know better. Everyone has heard the saying, Freedom isn't Free. Well, that's true, but you don't just have to die for it...you have to work for it. Every single citizen, not just soldiers, must work for their freedoms.

The vast majority of nations in this world don't provide their citizens the opportunity to step out of their lot. If you're born poor, you die poor. It's as simple as that. You have no hope. In this country, it doesn't matter your color, your parents' position in life, your religion. If you want to become a millionaire, you work your butt off and make it happen. This is the reason millions of immigrants have flocked to this country, some dying on their way. It's the reason we have to hold our representatives accountable. Yes. They are supposed to represent us, not their own self-interests. It is the reason we must not give up our rights (any of them!) to gain the illusion of security.

We must be accountable to ourselves as well and not hold our hands out to the government. It may not happen now with this government, but someday you may find that instead of finding food or healthcare in your hands, you'll find chains around your wrists.

Do not use poverty as an excuse to give the government more power. If your heart swells out in sympathy for those who need help, then help them! You. Personally. Don't ask the government to do it. Remember...there are always those who want to rule you, and they will if you let them. Do the work yourself and help those who need it.

My brothers and sisters have died to protect you from tyranny. Take that seriously. Don't make their deaths mean nothing.